GULF TIMES Bangladesh Thrash Sri Lanka SPORT Page 7
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
FOOTBALL | Page 4 NNBABA | Page 5 Iran coach Booker’s 70 Queiroz can’t save praises Suns, Cavs China’s Lippi beat Hornets Sunday, March 26, 2017 CRICKET Jumada II 27, 1438 AH Tamim ton as GULF TIMES Bangladesh thrash Sri Lanka SPORT Page 7 MOTOGP Vinales to start from pole aft er rain stops qualifying Despite the best eff orts of the organisers to drain the water, they couldn’t get the track ready in time By Joe Koraith THE GRID Doha . Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) ain, rain go away, Come again 2. Andrea Iannone ITA Team Suzuki another day… Yesterday it was Ecstar (GSX-RR) not just the kids but also the 3. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) adults who were singing this 4. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Rnursery rhyme at the Losail Interna- Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* tional Circuit yesterday. But it didn’t 5. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team go away quickly enough, resulting in (Desmosedici GP17) the qualifying sessions for the opening 6. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Rac- round of the MotoGP being cancelled. ing (Desmosedici GP16) The combined times of the three free 7. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) practice sessions have been used to de- 8. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha termine the grid for today’s race. Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* This means that Yamaha rider Mav- 9. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda erick Vinales has got his fi rst pole posi- (RC213V) tion of the 2017 season. In second po- 10. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha sition is Suzuki’s Andrea Iannone and MotoGP (YZR-M1) completing the third row is Honda’s 11. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Rac- ing (Desmosedici GP17) Marc Marquez. Ducati’s Jorge Lorenzo 12. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team is the rider most aff ected by the can- (Desmosedici GP17) cellation of the qualifying sessions be- 13. Alvaro Bautista ESP Aspar MotoGP cause he will now start in 11th position Teamthe grid(Desmosedici GP16) on the grid. 14. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing SELFIE TIME: Bradley Smith It was a frustrating day for everyone (Desmosedici GP15) (R) of KTM factory team meets 15. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia – from the riders to the fans. The riders Gresini (RS-GP) Nasser al-Attiyah, Olympic were keen to get out there and get those 16. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 shooting bronze medallist and valuable laps under their belt so that Marc VDS (RC213V) former Dakar Rally winner, at they could get the set-up perfect for the 17. Karel Abraham CZE Aspar MotoGP the Losail International race. The race organisers, considered Team (Desmosedici GP15) Circuit yesterday. the extraordinary situation yesterday, 18. Alex Rins ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar have decided that every class – Mo- (GSX-RR)* 19. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc toGP, Moto2, Moto3 will get 30 minutes VDS (RC213V) of warm-up today afternoon. This will 20. Hector Barbera ESP Reale Avintia Rac- “There were a lot of things that we dium,” he added. give the riders the time to fi ne tune the ing (Desmosedici GP16) wanted to test – electronics, full tank MotoGP safety chief Loris Capirossi 21. Sam Lowes GBR Factory Aprilia Gresini runs, tyres etc. I am little bit disap- said that the organisers tried everything (RS-GP)* pointed that we couldn’t ride the bike they could to ensure that the track was 22. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Fac- on race set-up. But I will make the last ready but had to call off the sessions in tory Racing (RC16) adjustments during the practice ses- the end. “We thought we could resolve 23. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Fac- tory Racing (RC16) sion. I hope the weather stays nice,” the problem but in the end it turned said Vinales yesterday. out to be bigger than we understood it “The warm-up is important to check to be and we decided to cancel every- set-up and get ready for the races in the the grip level and then we will decide thing. The main problem of the track is evening. which set-up to use. I will look to get a no drainage because normally we don’t There were a lot of changes made to good start, push in the fi rst lap and try expect rain in Qatar,” said the Italian the schedule in the hope that qualify- and set my pace. There are many riders yesterday. ing could take place but the conditions that I need to watch out for,” he added. “We will be working through the didn’t allow any track activity. The key Defending champion Marquez, like night to try and resolve the conditions issues were the standing water left on every other rider, was looking forward as much as we can. We will be working the track in certain areas and the run- to run race simulations today but he all day today too to get the track to be in off areas being fl ooded. Despite the or- said that weather wasn’t something its best condition,” he added. ganisers employing pumps to drain the that one can control. “The weather is Capirossi also indicated that if the water and also using drying machines, something that you can’t do anything weather continued to crate havoc, the they couldn’t get the track ready in about. Safety of the riders is most im- race could be moved to Monday. “If we time. portant,” said Marquez. have rain, we will send the riders out There is rain forecast for today morn- “Starting on the front row is a good and they can decide if the conditions ing but nothing in the afternoon. The result for me. It’s not the best way to are good to race. If not, we could can- organisers are hoping that they can get achieve it but it’s good for me. Maverick cel the race and postpone it to Monday. the track ready in time for 30-minute will lead the race and will have a good But the decision will be taken tomorrow Floodlights reflect in the puddles of water at the Losail International Circuit Maverick Vinales practice sessions. pace. Our target is to fi nish on the po- (Sunday),” he said. yesterday. PICTURES: Noushad Thekkayil and agencies FORMULA ONE Hamilton grabs pole, Vettel raises Ferrari hopes Reuters On a cloudy day with the merest hint in the fi nal session yesterday but rued a testing, it was something of a surprise Melbourne of rain, 32-year-old Hamilton grabbed mistake in his fastest qualifying lap. that twice champion Fernando Alonso his 62nd pole in Formula One, holding “I lost it a bit in turn one... Anyway, survived the cut to Q2 and will start fi rm as Vettel and Bottas pushed hard great job,” Vettel said on his team radio. 13th on the grid. ewis Hamilton took pole for late in the session. It was still encouraging enough for His rookie team mate Stoff el Van- Mercedes at the season-open- After it wrapped up, the Briton rolled him to declare that the ‘scuderia’ could doorne will start 18th for the Honda- ing Australian Grand Prix yes- around the lakeside track with his index contend in today’s race, having shown powered team. Lterday but Sebastian Vettel fi nger raised, 10 years after his brilliant impressive pace and reliability during Canadian teenager Lance Stroll has raised hope of a Ferrari renaissance by debut at the same circuit when he qual- winter testing. had a memorable, if drama-fi lled, de- grabbing a spot on the front row. ifi ed fourth for McLaren and fi nished Red Bull’s Max Verstappen quali- but for Williams and the 18-year-old Hamilton’s fl ying lap of one minute third in the race.“It has been a fantastic fi ed fi fth but it was a forgettable day for was 19th fastest in Q1. 22.188 seconds set a new record at Al- weekend so far,” Hamilton told report- his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, whose He will start last on the grid, howev- bert Park but was only 0.268 seconds ers. hopes of becoming the race’s fi rst home er, due to a fi ve-place penalty for need- in front of German Vettel, off ering “I am really proud of my team, the winner spun out early in Q3. ing a new gearbox following a crash the tantalising prospect of a competi- guys have worked so hard to make the He took a spin at turn 14, ended up during practice earlier yesterday. tive championship after three years of car what it is today. in the gravel and will start 10th on the Antonio Giovinazzi, a late replace- domination by the Silver Arrows. “Valtteri has done a great job and it is grid. “I’m alright, sorry guys,” he said ment for Pascal Wehrlein after the Ger- Vettel left Hamilton’s new teammate great for Mercedes. It is close between on the team radio before his car was man pulled out with fi tness concerns, Valtteri Bottas frustrated in the second Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (C) of Britain reacts after setting pole position us all and it will be a tight race.” towed off the track. will start 16th for Sauber after an im- row, the meat in a Ferrari sandwich next in qualifying alongside teammate Valtteri Bottas (L) of Finland and Ferrari’s After Hamilton dominated Friday With McLaren plagued by power unit pressive debut in qualifying, one be- to fourth fastest Kimi Raikkonen.